I remembered why I took up quilting!
 

I took up quilting after my husband and I found several of his grandmothers quilts in the attic when his mother moved from her old house. They were beautiful, but clearly made for use, not show. Very heavy! I used to embroider a lot, and my DH hated it 'cause he said my head was always down and he would ask me a question and I would say "What?" So I asked him what if I took up quilting instead. He was all for it. Back when I started, they were teaching using the templates. I fell in love immediately. I loved cutting out the pieces in different fabrics then hand sewing them back together in a design. It was making a puzzle each time!!

Last night, I was working on a quilt for my DIL. I'm running out of the fabric I am using to make the quilt, so I was using small pieces. I remembered my templates for the Mexican Star! Pull them out, marked the fabric and cut them out. Then started piecing by hand. (DH is recovering from surgery, so I could do that and be with him too.) I suddenly remembered how much I enjoyed doing that! Takes time, but I have time, and it will be a good addition to my sampler quilt.

Do you remember what started you quilting?

I actually started with templates and hand piecing too, not that long ago...maybe ten yrs ago....took me a couple yrs to do my first two, but thy are still my favorites....my daughter has one.....my Godaughter has the other....both queen size...eventually i will make one for myself....all by hand.....BUT FOR NOW....man do machine piecing and quilting go a lot faster...lol

I was looking for a hobby. I prayed about it (as I do everything) and was surfing the net one day and saw this ad for "Free Quilting.com" I think it was. Looked around there a bit and found a pattern that intrigued me. Went and bought the fabric for it and the rest is history, as they say. I was so proud if it at the time, but I look at it now and it makes me laugh. But it was the start of a long and wonderful relationship.

About 15 years ago I was trying to make a Christmas tree skirt from a panel for my daughter and could not figure out how to do it so I took a sampler quilt class. Had sewn my kids clothes as they were growing up until they would not wear "homemade" things anymore.

mltquilt

A dear friend would come in to work on Monday's with a beautiful quilt top she had completed. I sewed clothes for people a long time ago to support the family and it took away the joy of sewing for about 15 years. I went with this friend to a Bernina shop and demo and I was hooked! Been quilting for 8 years now and love it. Good to have machine that does most of the work too! I find a lot of joy in giving them away!

I started that way and I'm still at it today. I think everyone should experience the "old" way of quilt making at least once. It is so much more relaxing!!!

I started quilting because as a nurse-midwife, I spent so much time in the hospital sitting with women in labor. I was reading tons of novels which didn't seem very productive. One of my partners quilted, so I visited the LQS with her and bought a Baltimore Album book and fabric. I still love hand appliqué and hand quilting, but of course one thing leads to another and I traded my poor Kenmore in for a Bernina.

I have always been a compulise crafter, even as a small child. Some time after I got married I got into making soft dolls for my children and soap making. DH thought my hobbies were too exepensive, so he took me to Quilt in a Day and signed me up for the beginner class making a log cabin. He also bought the basic rulers and supplies needed. Now about 9 years later, he knows better then to think of quilt making as a cheap hobby. He has opened pandoras box. Fortunately he is overal supportive. He is a wood worker himself and has a very large, double car, extra deep garage as his work shop. I must say I made a scrappy quilt when I was in highschool and later one when I was in college but I used no technique or anything and did it my way. I wished I had a family history of quilt making.

My Mother made quilts for as long as I could remember. I had absolutely no interest in cutting apart fabric to sew it back together again. However I did make some quilts that were needed for my kids beds. One day a friend ask me if I would like to join a quilt guild they were organizing and I said yes. I went to the guild meetings and enjoyed them but still didn't want to make a quilt. I was working at a craft/fabric store at this time and a lady brought in some blocks that she had cut out in a star pattern and ask me if I would sew the blocks for her which I did. Also, while working at this store I pieced 5 or 6 quilts for them to sell. My quilting just seemed to take off from there. I love going to classes and retreats and can't wait to get going this spring. My biggest regret is that I didn't learn to love quilting while my mom was alive so we could have quilted together. She could have taught me alot that I had to learn other ways.

My husband bought me a sewing machine and I took a class and made a skirt and I was so excited that it turned out beautiful. Shortly after a girlfriend at work said her and another gal were going to do a BOM at the LQS and asked if I wanted to do it with them. I had no idea what I was doing and neither did they but it started me down this wonderful road and I've never looked back! BTW I've never sewed another piece of clothing....just quilts and such.:o